The EU has agreed retaliatory duties on U.S. goods worth about EUR21 billion ($23.2 billion), Bloomberg reported.
“The European Union approved tariffs on U.S. goods worth about EUR21 billion ($23.2 billion) in response to the 25 percent duties that President Donald Trump imposed last month on steel and aluminum exports from the bloc,” Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
A majority of the 27 EU member states reportedly voted in favor of the sanctions on Wednesday, some of which will begin to take effect in mid-April. The tariffs will target politically sensitive U.S. states and will include products such as soybeans from Louisiana, the home state of House Speaker Mike Johnson, as well as diamonds, agricultural products, poultry and motorcycles.
“The European Commission, the bloc’s executive arm, said the countermeasures could be ended at any time ‘if the United States agrees to a fair and balanced negotiated outcome,’” the report said.
“The move intensifies the growing transatlantic trade war, as the USA has also applied a universal 20 percent tariff on almost all European exports, as well as a separate 25 percent duty on cars and some auto parts. Trump said he would announce additional tariffs on lumber, semiconductor chips and pharmaceutical products. All of Trump’s new tariffs hit EU goods worth about 380 billion euros,” Bloomberg noted.
The EU is reportedly facing duties of 25% on steel, aluminum and auto imports, as well as new broad duties of 20% on nearly all other goods under Trump’s policy of targeting countries he says impose high barriers to imports from the US.
The European Commission, which coordinates EU trade policy, on Monday proposed additional duties of mostly 25% on a range of imports from the US. The imports include motorcycles, poultry, fruit, timber, clothing and dental floss, according to the document seen by Reuters. They amounted to about EUR21 billion ($23 billion) last year, meaning that the EU’s retaliatory action will apply to goods worth less than EUR26 billion of metal exports from the EU that were hit by the US tariffs.
Agrane Agro Holding will plant more than 26 thou hectares of spring crops in the 2025 season, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
According to the report, about 14 thou hectares will be allocated for corn, 12 thou hectares for sunflower and small areas for legumes and flax for diversification.
“Agrain Group operates on the principle that every drop of moisture is worth its weight in gold. We use modern technologies that help minimize water losses and create optimal conditions for germination and development of crops,” said Taras Kornienko, chief agronomist of the agricultural holding.
To preserve moisture, he said, the agroholding’s fields are harrowed and moisture sealed, Strip-Till technology is implemented, and drought-resistant hybrids are grown using flexible sowing dates.
Agrane added that the agroholding’s winter crops are in good condition due to timely fertilization and pest protection.
“Agrain is engaged in the cultivation and storage of grains and oilseeds, as well as livestock farming. Prior to the full-scale Russian invasion, the agricultural holding included 11 agricultural enterprises. It cultivated about 110,000 hectares in Zhytomyr, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, and Cherkasy regions.
The holding is owned by SAS Investcompagnie (France).
According to the State Customs Service, in January-March 2025, Ukraine sharply increased imports of electric generating sets and rotating converters (UKTZED 8502) to $432.9 million, up 7.7 times compared to the same period in 2024.
In March, imports amounted to $88.2 million: this is 6.3 times higher than in March 2024, but 47% less than in February 2025.
Main suppliers:
– Czech Republic – $85.7 million (19.8%)
– USA – $77.3 million (17.85%)
– Austria – $58.7 million (15.87%)
For comparison, in 2024, imports of generators increased by 3.7% to $732.5 million. As a reminder, since July 2024, Ukraine has exempted the import of generators from VAT and customs duties.
The main manufacturers and brands of generators whose products are actively represented in Ukrainian imports are:
– Honda Power (Japan)
– Kohler (USA)
– SDMO (France)
– Geko (Germany)
– Endress (Germany)
– FG Wilson (UK)
– Tedom (Czech Republic)
Ukraine increased its production of total rolled products by 3.3% in January-March 2025 compared to the same period last year to 1.435 million tons, according to Ukrmetallurgprom.
In March, the company produced 478.4 thousand tons of rolled products, slightly higher than in February (476.9 thousand tons).
In 2024, the company produced 6.222 million tons of rolled products (+15.8% compared to 2023), 5.372 million tons (+0.4%) in 2023, and 19.079 million tons in 2021. In 2022, production decreased by more than 70%.
The Experts Club Information and Analytical Center has recently presented a video analysis of the top 20 steel producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/j7Yev2HCS4o?si=lfmGJ5jrx8036z1U
In January-March 2025, the volume of imports of passenger cars to Ukraine, including cargo and passenger vans and racing cars (UKT FEA code 8703), exceeded $1.131 billion in monetary terms, which is almost equal to the figure for the first quarter of last year ($1.134 billion).
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) of Ukraine, in March this year, passenger cars worth $411.23 million were imported to Ukraine, which is 16.6% more than in March 2024, while in January there was a 17.8% drop compared to January 2024, and in February the increase was 3% compared to February last year.
The three largest suppliers of cars to Ukraine in January-March this year were Germany, the United States and Japan, while last year it was the United States, Germany and China.
In particular, car deliveries from Germany increased by 35.7% to $228.94 million, and their share in the structure of car imports amounted to 20.24% compared to 14.88% a year earlier.
Ukraine imported $181.39 million worth of cars from the United States (down 14%). Japan, which last year was not among the top three countries with the largest car imports, supplied $108.35 million worth of cars over three months this year.
Notably, the top three did not include China, whose imports of passenger cars to Ukraine amounted to $138.18 million a year ago.
From other countries, all imports of passenger cars in the period amounted to $612.58 million, compared to $615.58 million in the first quarter of last year.
At the same time, in the first quarter of this year, Ukraine exported only $2.51 million worth of such vehicles, in particular to the UAE (51.6% of exports), the Czech Republic and Slovakia, while a year ago in the same period the country supplied $5.5 million worth of them to foreign markets, mainly to Canada, the UAE and the United States.
According to the State Customs Service, in the total structure of imports of goods to Ukraine in January-March, the share of passenger cars was 6.13%, in the structure of exports – 0.03%.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine imported passenger cars worth $4.385 billion, 8% more than a year earlier, and exported $10.1 million (2.7 times less).
The Chinese authorities have decided to raise duties on US products from 34% to 84%, The Global Times reported on Wednesday, citing the Commission on Customs Tariffs under the State Council of the People’s Republic of China. The new tariffs are to come into effect on April 10 at 12:01 a.m. local time (7:01 a.m. ET).
In turn, Chinese state media reported that the Chinese authorities added 6 US firms to the list of unreliable organizations and 12 US entities to the list of legal entities subject to export controls.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump, having received no signals of concessions from Beijing, signed a decree to increase duties on goods from China. According to the decree, the additional 34% duty previously announced by Trump is being increased by 84%. Thus, taking into account the 20% duties that Trump imposed on goods from China in the first term of his presidency, the duties now amount to 104%.
Last week, the Chinese authorities decided to impose additional duties of 34% on goods from the United States starting April 10.
CNBC noted that the United States was ready to reconsider its position on raising duties on Chinese goods if China abandoned its retaliatory duties on American goods. However, Beijing stated that it was not going to make concessions.
